At the end of last year BNP Paribas Portugal announced the arrival of Fundação BNP Paribas Portugal, the 14th foundation of the BNP Paribas Group worldwide.

With the goal of reinforcing the Group’s commitment to sustainable and inclusive development in Portuguese society, and to mark its 40th anniversary in the country, the birth of the Fundação BNP Paribas Portugal will address most pressing social, environmental, and cultural Portuguese challenges, consolidating all philanthropic activities of the Portugal under a single vision.

BNP Paribas Portugal is now glad to announce that the Fundação BNP Paribas Portugal’s website is live.

About Fundação BNP Paribas Portugal

The mission of the BNP Paribas Portugal Foundation is to contribute to the sustainable and inclusive development of Portuguese society: We give power to those who take action.

The Foundation will work side by side with local associations, institutional partners and other foundations, reinforcing the impact of initiatives through knowledge sharing, collaboration networks, and resource mobilization. BNP Paribas employees will also be encouraged to participate, reinforcing the Group’s internal commitment to its social mission.

Fundação BNP Paribas Portugal is proud to announce that has opened its first call for projects, called “Futuro Com Sentido“.

Since its creation, the Fundação BNP Paribas Portugal has been deepening the Group´s commitment to Portuguese society through its three pillars – Solidarity, Environment and Culture.

Within the Solidarity pillar, the Fundação sees decent work and meaningful employment as a powerful driver of social inclusion, especially for young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEET) that continue to face structural barriers to stable labour-market entry and participation. For this reason, the Fundação has therefore launched this targeted project aiming at offering a small but sustainable contribution to this problem.

HOW?

• A grant up to €150 000 for a project that improves employability, open pathways to stable jobs and raises income security for NEET youth (16-34 years).
• Non-financial support such as BNP Paribas employee volunteering in Lisbon and Porto, plus in-kind assistance tailored to each partnership.

Who may apply?

• Non-profit organisations (associations, IPSS, NGOs, etc.) legally established in Portugal, with at least two years of existence.
• Entities that have demonstrable experience working with NEET youth in the last three years.
• Projects that will be implemented, at least in part, in the Lisbon and/or Porto metropolitan areas and run for a maximum for 24 months (ending in 31 Dec 2028).

Guidelines

• Call opening: 27th of April
• Deadline for submissions: Until 23:59 of May 17th of Continental Portugal
• Announcement of selected project(s): Until 24th of July
• Project’s launch: Until December 26th
• Projects Closing Date: December 31st 2028

The Fundação BNP Paribas Portugal is looking for initiatives that have at least one employment-related outcome – improved job-readiness, access to decent work, increased earning or equal access to the labour market – and that are backed by a clear theory of change, measurable impact indicators and a realistic implementation plan.

You can find all the guidelines and regulations:

Please find all relevant information on the Fundação recently launched website.

Following the first conference of the Fundação BNP Paribas Portugal, designated of “Biodiversidade: da célula aos gigantes do mar”, Luciana Peres, President of the foundation, shared with Executive Digest the objectives of the new foundation of the BNP Paribas Group, in Portugal. Luciana detailed the institution’s strategy, the initial investment of €1.5 million, and its focus on key areas such as social inclusion, marine biodiversity, and culture. She emphasized the ambition to transform philanthropic support into structural and lasting impact for Portuguese society.

The purpose of the BNP Paribas Foundation Portugal is to make a significant and consistent contribution to the sustainable development of Portuguese society by supporting, in diverse ways, those already doing remarkable work on the ground.

Luciana Peres, President of the Fundação BNP Paribas Portugal

In a symbolic year marking 40 years of BNP Paribas’ presence in Portugal, the Group takes a new step in strengthening its commitment to the country with the launch of the BNP Paribas Foundation Portugal. This is the 14th foundation of the Group globally and is established to integrate and enhance all philanthropic activities developed in the national market under a unified and higher-impact vision.

The new foundation aims to position itself as a catalyst for change, working in partnership with social organizations, universities, researchers, and cultural institutions to promote sustainable and long-term solutions.

Click here to read the full interview.

Please find more information on the Fundação recently launched website.

BNP Paribas Portugal was honoured in Real Estate Awards for its new office in Lisbon – the EXEO Office Hub – winning two of the main categories. The project received the awards for “Best Office Project of the Year” and “Excellence in Efficiency and Sustainability”, recognizing the architectural quality, functionality and strong environmental commitment of the new space.

Located in Lisboa and forming part of a cross-functional, multidisciplinary transformation process launched five years ago, aimed at enhancing not only team collaboration, efficiency and well-being but also the Bank’s ecological and societal footprint in Portugal, the EXEO Office Hub stands out for its integration of flexible workspaces, state-of-art technological infrastructure, and sustainability designed solutions built from the ground up in a “green by design” approach. The jury also highlighted the project’s ability to meet the new demands of hybrid work, promoting employee well-being and productivity.

For BNP Paribas, this double accolade reinforces the institution’s standing as a benchmark in corporate real-estate development and consolidates its commitment to ESG criteria (environmental, social and governance).

It is a great honour to receive these awards in such a demanding and prestigious forum. Beyond technical, architectural or technological excellence, these prizes reflect our commitment to people and to society, recognizing a cross-functional project developed over more than five years with the aim of creating an efficient, sustainable and inspiring workplace.

Xavier Jombart, COO of BNP Paribas Portugal

The project’s lead also points out that the project, managed by BNP Paribas Real Estate, co-developed by Avenue, and involving Broadway Malyan, DDN, Openbook Vetromais, HCI and Silogia, was essentially the result of a joint effort from several internal team – including Facilities Management, Consulting & Transformation, Finance, Procurement, Legal and Communications – as well as the active involvement of employees throughout the entire process

In addition to the awards, the Aura and Echo buildings at the EXEO Office hub have recently achieved LEED Platinum certification, the highest level of this international environmental-performance rating system. The certification recognises the buildings’ performance in areas such as energy efficiency, integration of renewable energy, water management, indoor-air quality and innovative sustainable-design solutions.

After acquiring the Aura and Echo buildings on the EXEO Campus for its new headquarters in Lisbon in 2022, BNP Paribas reinforces its commitment to Portugal and its investment in the operations it runs in the country. In this way, the Group now has three hubs in Portugal, with capacity for its 9700 employees, the EXEO Office Hub and Colombo in Lisbon, and URBO in Porto

We began considering this possibility as early as summer 2023. It seemed to us like a natural evolution of the work we had already been doing in the area of corporate social responsibility at the bank, and we believed we were ready for a bigger step and a more structured presence.

Luciana Peres, president of Fundação BNP Paribas Portugal

Luciana Peres, President of Fundação BNP Paribas Portugal, shared with Observador her insights on the Fundação BNP Paribas Portugal first steps, as well as the first two projects that will be supported by the Fundação.

At the time of its launch, the Foundation is investing €1.5 million, directly allocated by the parent Foundation under the Climate & Biodiversity Initiative, which supports scientists studying the impact of climate change on marine biodiversity, in two Portuguese winning projects (out of 163 submitted worldwide) — a clear demonstration of the quality of work being developed in this field in the country.

These two projects fall under the strategic area of biodiversity, with a focus on increasing research capacity, and enabling scientists to find solutions that can ideally be scaled up to address conservation and restoration issues related to the marine environment and biodiversity.

Luciana Peres, president of Fundação BNP Paribas Portugal

Click here to read the full interview.

• With a 40-year success story in Portugal, the creation of the Foundation stems from the will to give back to a country that has contributed so much to the BNP Paribas Group and is now one of its strategic locations.
• The Foundation reinforces the Group’s commitment to the sustainable and inclusive development of Portuguese society, consolidating all philanthropic activities in Portugal under a single, unified vision.
• The Foundation’s motto is “We give power to those who take action!”, embracing networking as its preferred working method and promoting collaboration among all stakeholders, with a view to achieving systemic change in the areas in which it operates.
• Three strategic areas: Solidarity (inclusion through employment), Environment and Biodiversity (restoration and conservation of marine ecosystems), and Culture (access to culture and support for underrepresented artists).
• The investment in the year of launch includes €1.5 million for study and research projects on the impact of climate change on ocean warming and its consequences for marine species living in the Atlantic Ocean.

BNP Paribas announces the launch of the Fundação BNP Paribas Portugal, the 14^th Foundation of the BNP Paribas Group worldwide, with the aim of reinforcing the Group’s commitment to the sustainable and inclusive development of Portuguese society. The Foundation was created to respond to the country’s most pressing social, environmental, and cultural challenges, consolidating all the Group’s philanthropic activity in Portugal under a single vision, in the year in which BNP Paribas celebrates 40 years of activity in Portugal.

At the time of its launch, the Foundation is investing €1.5 million, directly allocated by the parent Foundation under the Climate & Biodiversity Initiative, which supports scientists studying the impact of climate change on marine biodiversity, in two Portuguese winning projects (out of 163 submitted worldwide) — a clear demonstration of the quality of work being developed in this field in the country:

• Gulf of Guinea: Migration of the Pelagic Marine Megafauna (OCEANPATH)

This project aims to establish a protected offshore marine migration corridor between Cape Verde and the Gulf of Guinea for blue sharks, mako sharks and whales. Using innovative monitoring technologies and 3D mapping, OCEANPATH seeks to improve predictions of migratory patterns and contribute to large-scale marine conservation.

• Temperature and Early Development of the small-spotted catshark (SHOW-IT)

Conducted in controlled aquarium conditions, this project studies the effects of ocean warming on the early immune and motor development of small-spotted catshark, comparing Atlantic and Mediterranean populations. Its findings will help inform the design of future marine protected areas.

“Acting for the common good to make the world better, more just, and more sustainable is embedded in the DNA of our patronage actions A major player in corporate patronage since 1984, the BNP Paribas Group has a strong presence in the global philanthropy landscape. Providing innovative solutions, protecting, repairing, inspiring, and upholding these ambitions, particularly with the vibrant forces that make up the BNP Paribas Group teams in Portugal, is essential.”

Anne Pointet, Head of Company Engagement for Group BNP Paribas.

“In a fractured and divided world, seeing the emergence of a new foundation in Portugal with the desire to innovate and support visionary actors in solidarity, the environment, and culture is excellent news. It reinforces a coalition now composed of 14 foundations and endowment funds of the BNP Paribas Group.”

Isabelle Giordano, Head of BNP Paribas Group Philanthropy.

With a 40-year history of success in Portugal, the creation of the Foundation reflects the will to give back to a country that has given so much to the BNP Paribas Group, and which is now one of its strategic locations. For several years, the BNP Paribas Group has defined its ambition as having a positive impact on society (“We are serving our customers and the world we live in”), contributing to sustainable development (using the 17 SDGs defined by the United Nations), through an ambitious social responsibility strategy with a strong philanthropic pillar. A company of BNP Paribas’s current scale in Portugal has the capacity to raise awareness and mobilize other companies and organizations—whether partners or clients—as well as, very effectively, its employees, now numbering more than 9,000, in collaborative work capable of generating real change. The Foundation aims to continue working closely with communities, side by side with those on the ground, supporting projects that create real and lasting impact, thereby deepening the bond that already exists.

“We believe in the power of collaborative work and coalition-building to achieve systemic change in our society and our planet. That is why we have adopted the motto for the BNP Paribas Portugal Foundation: We give power to those who take action! We will support innovative, challenging, well-founded projects capable of producing measurable impact in their areas of activity. For this reason, we are committed to and will invite employees, clients, partners, universities, and other organizations that share our vision — the development of a more inclusive and sustainable society — to join us in long-term investment in the areas and beneficiaries we have identified as priorities.”

Luciana Peres, President of BNP Paribas Fundação Portugal

An integrated approach to a more inclusive and sustainable society

The activities of the Fundação BNP Paribas Portugal are structured around three strategic areas:

1. Social, focused on social inclusion through increased employability, particularly among young people, women, and migrants in vulnerable situations;
2. Environment and Biodiversity, aiming to contribute to increased research capacity and the identification of scalable solutions for the conservation and restoration of marine biodiversity, with a focus on the Atlantic Ocean; and
3. Culture, committed to increasing access to cultural activities for those who usually do not have that opportunity, and to supporting artists from underrepresented groups in revitalizing Portuguese artistic expressions.

These three pillars will guide the Foundation’s activities and reflect its commitment to contributing to a more inclusive, sustainable, and participatory society.

The Foundation will work side by side with associations, institutions and other partners, strengthening the impact of supported projects through the sharing of knowledge, experience, collaborative networks, and the mobilization of the most appropriate resources for the success of each initiative. BNP Paribas employees will be invited to participate, reinforcing their commitment to the Bank’s social responsibility, as well as their role as citizens engaged in the world in which they live.

With a strategy aligned with the BNP Paribas Foundation, its parent foundation, the strategy of the BNP Paribas Portugal Foundation for the 2026–2028 period will greatly benefit from the experience accumulated in Portugal by BNP Paribas’s corporate social responsibility area, particularly in the field of social inclusion, now complemented by projects in the conservation and restoration of marine biodiversity and by the participation in and revitalization of artistic expressions of cultural identity.

BNP Paribas Portugal was distinguished at the 5th Edition of the Diversity Seal Awards. This is an initiative that recognizes organizations that actively promote diversity, equity and inclusion practices within their teams and in society.

This year, BNP Paribas was recognised with two distinctions:

• Diversity Seal in the category “Projects with Community Engagement”, for the Mosaico Programme.
• Honourable Mention in the category “Internal Projects to Promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” for the Disability Strikes Back initiative.

Find more on the following articles:

• Greensavers
• Human

Portugal’s Diversity Seal is an initiative promoted in a partnership between the Portuguese Association for Diversity and Inclusion and the High Commission for Migration, which has the goal to recognise organisations that develop and implement policies and practices aimed at promoting and valuing diversity.

According APPDI, the recognition of good practices, within the framework of the Diversity Seal, functions as a quality label and public acknowledgment, reinforcing the organization’s commitment to inclusion, enhancing its reputation, attracting talent, and generating both competitive and social advantages.

Preparing BNP Paribas for the future of talent and technological innovation

Sylvie Le Pottier, HEad of human resources bnp Paribas portugal

Sylvie Le Pottier, Head of Human Resources for BNP Paribas Portugal, shared with RHMagazine her insights on Portuguese talent and Human Resources trends, as well as her views on BNP Paribas Human Resources Portugal.

Click here to read the full interview.

BNP Paribas Portugal Continuous Improvement Team has received an Honorable Mention in the Culture category at the most recent edition of the Kaizen Award Portugal which took place on May 20 at Nova School of Business and Economics, in Carcavelos. 

The Culture category of the Kaizen Award Portugal acknowledges projects that clearly demonstrate the result of strategies implemented to spread a lean mindset across organizations, resulting in increased efficiency of services, process optimization and digitization of workflows.

This Honorable Mention, received by Cláudia Figueira and Lucas Corrêa Santos, Continuous Improvement Specialists, recognizes the WINs Program, BNP Paribas digital channel for continuous improvement ideas, as well as the achievements of the Lean Ambassadors in 2024, for their outstanding work as enablers of continuous improvement and efficiency across the organization. 

Kaizen Award in Portugal

The Kaizen™ Award Portugal is promoted by the Kaizen Institute Portugal, which provides consulting and training services to companies and public organizations, aiming to promote operational excellence through the implementation of Lean, Six Sigma, and other management tools.

This annual initiative recognizes organizations that excel in applying Kaizen principles and Lean methodologies and highlights projects that demonstrate operational excellence, innovation, sustainability, and continuous improvement. The awards aim to contribute to encourage the adoption of a continuous improvement culture across different sectors of the Portuguese economy.

We are proud to share that BNP Paribas Portugal was recognized as the Best Company for Diversity and Inclusion (end user) in the Women in Technology and Data Awards with the project GM IT (Global Markets Technology) Women bootcamp.

This award aims to celebrate companies that have sought to promote women where appropriate and contribute to improve the gender balance in Technology and Data roles across the capital markets. A recognition that reflects BNP Paribas Portugal’s efforts in increasing the representation of women at all levels.

Gender equality is an important dimension of our commitment to Diversity and Inclusion. Having more talented and empowered women in tech roles will allow us to boost collaboration and innovation in our teams which will consolidate the Group’s lead over other companies in the sector.

Sylvie Le Pottier
Head of Human Resources, BNP Paribas Portugal

GM IT (Global Markets Technology) Women Bootcamp

Get to know the project behind this recognition.

The “GM IT Women bootcamp” is a transformative program designed to support and onboard junior female developers from top coding institutions such as Code for All, 42 Lisboa, Ironhack Portugal, and Le Wagon Portugal into the technology field.

This program has a unique approach. It combines intensive training, hands-on experience, and personalized mentorship to prepare participants for successful careers in IT.

Mikhail Khasin
Head of Global Markets IT, BNP Paribas Portugal

This first edition had +40 applications, within which BNP Paribas selected the most promising 10 students, who for 9 months worked side by side with an experienced mentor who provided guidance and career advice.  The result? An empowered group of female developers, all converted to permanent employees, that are now equipped with the tools they need to thrive in the tech industry.